I thought you might be interested in two new sets of video resources which are, and are becoming, available. The big problem with video in general, in my opinion, is that it’s hard to find the time to sit down and watch something for any length of time because you can’t do much else while you’re doing so. And by “any length of time” I mean anything over about 5 minutes.

So it’s good that there are some 3 minute videos now and some micro-videos coming on stream.

First, have a look at Steve Wheeler’s three minute videos. As he explains in Life Through a Lens, his aim is to produce videos which make three points about a particular topic, in no more than three minutes. Great idea, and the videos are good quality, in terms of both content and production values. That article just referred to has links to the ones Steve has made so far, but here is one to be looking at in the meantime. It’s on digital literacies.

Second, Leon Cych, who has been part of the UK’s ICT scene forever it seems, specialises in video. He has been making some micro-videos, ie less than a minute in length, to help teachers in the UK prepare for the new Computing curriculum. He has made one about Scratch resources, and one about Python resources. Each of those videos is accompanied by an extensive mindmap listing the resources. You can see the full list on Leon’s Learn 4 Life website, but in the meantime here is the video about Scratch:

One of the videos explains Leon’s plans for the future, and is asking for sponsorship to help him continue his work. What Leon is hoping to do is create a new generation Teachers’ TV, so do hep if you can.

And finally, these short videos have reminded me that, back in July 2008, I made a few videos under the heading “Terry’s Two Minute Tips”. They are still there on my original YouTube channel, which you can explore at your leisure. My aim, as you may have surmised, was to give a few useful, practical tips in around two minutes.

Unlike Steve’s and Leon’s videos, mine have not so much poor production values as no production values! But I like to think that the content is sound, especially if you can ignore the fact that in some of them I haven’t shaved and my office looks like a bomb’s hit it. Here is the first one I made, in which I suggest how a teacher can get to have in-depth discussions with each pupil in a class of 30.

I hope these resources have given you food for thought. But now it’s your turn. You have something to say; webcams are ubiquitous; YouTube is free. When are you going to make a video to share some of your insights and discoveries?